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Front Page, In the Mix, National Team

Japan Squad for Asian Cup in Australia, January 2015

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Goalkeepers

Eiji KAWASHIMA (Standard Liege – Belgium)
Masaaki HIGASHIGUCHI (Gamba Osaka)
Shusaku NISHIKAWA (Urawa Reds)

Defenders

Yuto NAGATOMO (Inter Milan – Italy)
Masato MORISHIGE (FC Tokyo)
Kosuke OTA (FC Tokyo)
Atsuto UCHIDA (Schalke 04 – Germany)
Maya YOSHIDA (Southampton FC – England)
Tsukasa SHIOTANI (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Gotoku SAKAI (VfB Stuttgart – Germany)
Gen SHOJI (Kashima Antlers)

Midfield

Yasuhito ENDO (Gamba Osaka)
Yasuyuki KONNO (Gamba Osaka)
Makoto HASEBE (Eintracht Frankfurt – Germany)
Shinji KAGAWA (Borussia Dortmund – Germany)
Hiroshi KIYOTAKE (Hannover 94 -Germany)
Gaku SHIBASAKI (Kashima Antlers)

Forwards

Yohei TOYODA (Sagan Tosu)
Shinji OKAZAKI (Mainz 05 – Germany)
Keisuke HONDA (AC Milan – Italy)
Yu KOBAYASHI (Kawasaki Frontale)
Takashi INUI (Eintracht Frankfurt – Germany)
Yoshinori MUTO (FC Tokyo)

 

JSoccer#14Winter2014-12

Front Page, In the Mix, J.League

JSoccer Magazine Issue 14 is HERE! Shipping today!

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Here’s a few of the magazines that arrived and are being prepared to go out …  get yours via the links on these pages, or just directly send $13.80 including worldwide shipping (or $11.80 for shipping within Japan) to Paypal or Skrill – alan@jsoccer.com !

And why the cover? Of a player that hardly kicked a ball this year due to injury? A player who is not a star by any means? A player who is actually wearing the 20134 season shirt?

Well … why not!!? What a great picture it is! Of a true professional who will – next season – hit an age that is the same as the number he is wearing … and he plays for the team that is our main (or, hey, COVER) story… and, if, and that’s IF he announces retirement – – a fitting tribute indeedf

 

Yukio Tsuchiya – sterling service to Ventforet Kofu, Tokyo Verdy, Omiya Ardija, Kashiwa Reysol and Vissel Kobe.

Thank you !

 

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Front Page, In the Mix, J.League

J.League Awards 2014 – J1 Best XI

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J.League Player of the Season / MVP:

YASUHITO ENDO!!

Endo

J.League J1 Best XI for 2014;

Goalkeeper

Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Reds)

Nishikawa

Defence

Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo)

Morishige

Tsukasa Shiotani (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)

Shiotani

Kosuke Ota (FC Tokyo)

Ota

Midfield

Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka)

Endo

Gaku Shibasaki (Kashima Antlers)

Shibasaki

Yoshinori Muto (FC Tokyo)

Muto

Leo Silva (Albirex Niigata)

Leo Silva

 

FW:

Yoshito Okubo (Kawasaki Frontale)

Okubo

Takashi Usami (Gamba Osaka)

Usami

Patric (Gamba Osaka)

Patric

 

They’d line up something like this?!!

Nishikawa
Shiotani   Morishige   Ota
Endo   Shibasaki
Leo Silva                                Muto
Patric          Usami
Okubo

遠藤保仁選手

2014 JリーグアウォーズでMVPを受賞

GK：
西川周作（浦和レッズ）

DF：
森重真人（FC東京）
塩谷司（サンフレッチェ広島）
太田宏介 (FC東京）

MF:
遠藤保仁（ガンバ大阪）
柴崎岳（鹿島アントラーズ）
武藤嘉紀（FC東京）
レオ・シルバ（アルビレックス新潟）

FW:
宇佐美貴史（ガンバ大阪）
大久保嘉人（川崎フロンターレ）
パトリック（ガンバ大阪）

Front Page, In the Mix, National Team

Japan Provisional Squad for Asian Cup

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Provisional Squad for Japan’s Samurai Blue excursion to Australia for the Asian Cup has been announced… December 30th this will be pared down to the final 23.

GKs Higashiguchi (Gamba Osaka), Kawashima (Standard Liege – Belgium), Nishikawa (Urawa Reds), Hayashi (Sagan Tosu), Gonda (FC Tokyo)

DFs Mizumoto (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Nagatomo (Inter Milan – Italy), Makino (Reds), Morishige (FC Tokyo), Ota (FC Tokyo), Nishi (Antlers), Yasuda (Sagan Tosu), Uchida (Schalke – Germany), Yoshida (Southampton – England), Shiotani (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Suzuki (Kashiwa Reysol), H.Sakai (Hannover 96 – Germany), G.Sakai (VfB STuttgart – Germany), Matsubara (Albirex Niigata), Ueda (Kashima Antlers)

MFs Endo (Gamba Osaka), Konno (Gamba Osaka), Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt – Germany), Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Hosogai (Hertha Berlin), Tanaka (Sporting Lisbon – Portugal), Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund – Germany), Kiyotake (Hannover 96 – Germany), Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Taguchi (Nagoya Grampus), Morioka (Vissel Kobe), Shibasaki (Kashima Antlers), Ohshima (Kawasaki Frontale)

FWs Okubo (Kawasaki Frontale), Toyoda (Sagan Tosu), Okazaki (Mainz 05) – Germany), Honda (AC Milan – Italy), Kobayashi (Kawasaki Frontale), Inui (Eintracht Frankfurt – Germany), Nagai (Nagoya Grampus), Kakitani (FC Basel – Switzerland), Osako (FC Cologne – Germany), Haraguchi (Hertha Berlin – Germany), Minagawa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Usami (Gamba Osaka), Muto (FC Tokyo), Miyaichi (FC Twente – Holland),  Kubo (Young Boys of Berne – Switzerland), Minamino (Cerezo Osaka)

 

GK

川島永嗣 , 東口順昭 , 西川周作,  林彰洋 , 権田修一

DF

水本裕貴 , 長友佑都,  槙野智章 , 森重真人 , 太田宏介 , 西大伍 ,

安田理,大,  内田篤人 , 吉田麻也,  塩谷司 , 鈴木大輔,  酒井宏樹 ,

酒井高徳 , 昌子源,  松原健,  植田直通

MF

遠藤保仁 , 今野泰幸 , 長谷部誠 , 青山敏弘,  細貝萌 , 田中順也 ,

香川真司 , 清武弘嗣 , 山口蛍 , 田口泰士 , 森岡亮太 , 柴崎岳 , 大島僚太

FW

大久保嘉人,  豊田陽平,  岡崎慎司 , 本田圭佑 , 小林悠 , 乾貴士 ,

永井謙佑,  柿谷曜一朗 , 大迫勇也 , 原口元気 , 皆川佑介 , 宇佐美貴史,

武藤嘉紀,  宮市亮,  久保裕也,  南野拓実

Front Page, In the Mix, J.League, National Team

JSoccer Team of the Season / official J.League Best XI 2014 Nominees

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JSoccer’s Team of the Season

GOALKEEPER:

Masaaki Higashiguchi (Gamba) – transformed a team that was known for leaking goals into a trophy-winning team with a tight defence.

DEFENCE:

Koki Yonekura (Gamba) – filled Akira Kaji’s shoes, and more. Created, scored, worked hard. Many years ahead of him, too!

Tsukasa Shiotani (Sanfrecce) – Burst onto the scene as a goalscoring defender who proved that he can play in a Japan NT back four, also. Hope Sanfrecce keep hold of him for a season or three more!

Daisuke Nasu (Reds) A rock between two hard cases (Moriwaki and Makino). Often the only glue that held those boys together. With the attacking tendencies (and referee/opposition-baiting tactics) of his co-defenders, he was the one that stood tall.

JaeSuk Oh (Gamba) Covered right back when needed, but mainly displaced Hiroki Fujiharu at left back, who had been ever-present for two seasons in the Gamba back four.

MIDFIELD:

Yasuhito Endo (Gamba) – The name is enough!

Gaku Shibasaki (Antlers) – Endo’s heir apparent in the national team and Ogasawara’s long-term replacement at Antlers.

Yasushi Endo (Antlers) – Chimed in with goals to back his flair and workrate. Deserves a shot at the national team, too?

Hiroyuki Abe (Gamba) – Unsung hero of Gamba’s attacking bunch. In particular, his early-season goals were important, but his overall workrate up and down the right wing is phenomenal. Another one who deserves Aguirre’s attention.

FORWARDS:

Takashi Usami (Gamba) – Simply changed Gamba’s season (along with Patric’s arrival) upon his return from injury about ten games in!

Yoshito Okubo (Frontale) – Goalscoring phenomenon, and a player everyone hates playing against their team!

 

Substitutes:

Akihiro Hayashi (Tosu)
Daiki Niwa (Gamba) Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo)
Yosuke Kashiwagi (Reds)
Yoshinoro Muto (FC Tokyo) Patric (Gamba) Yohei Toyoda (Tosu)

MVP for the season Yasuhito Endo (Gamba

 

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Official J.League Best XI 2014

(Nominees for the J.League Awards, Dec.9th:

GK – Higashiguchi (Gamba) Nishikawa (Reds) Hayashi (Tosu)

DF – Yonekura (Gamba) Nishi (Antlers) Nasu (Reds) Konno (Gamba) Mizumoto (Sanfrecce) Shoji (Antlers) Shiotani (Sanfrecce) Makino (Reds) Morishige (FC Tokyo) Yasuda (Tosu) Ota (FC Tokyo)

MF – Endo (Gamba) Shibasaki (Antlers) Kashiwagi (Reds) Abe (Gamba) Morioka (Vissel) Oshima (Frontale) Abe (Reds) Endo (Antlers) Nakamura (Frontale) Leo Silva (Albirex) Muto (FC Tokyo)

FW – Usami (Gamba) Okubo (Frontale) Patric (Gamba) Kobayashi (Frontale) Koroki (Reds) Renato (Frontale) Toyoda (Tosu)

 

Front Page, In the Mix, J.League

Gamba Osaka Are 2014 J1 Champions!

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Gamba Osaka 0-0 Tokushima Vortis – single point enough to overcome the (non-) challenge from Reds, in the end!

Despite a scoreless draw against a plucky Tokushima Vortis – showing too late what they might have been capable of – Gamba Osaka took the J1 Championship trophy for the second time in their history on Saturday, the single point earned in Tokushima enough to take top spot.

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Gamba started the day ahead of Urawa Reds on goal difference at the top – the first time they had hit the top spot this season – and Reds started their match well with an early goal from Tomoaki Makino, to put Reds ahead in the “live table”.

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The scores remained unchanged at the break, with Gamba failing to break down a resilient Vortis defence and Reds ahead by the single goal. As it stood, the Championship was going to Saitama… but things are never that simple in J.League, are they!?

Gamba boss Kenta Hasegawa brought on Shu Kurata for Hiroyuki Abe at the start of the second period to try and stimulate his offensive players but it was the home team that came out brighter with some resolute defending by the Gamba defence ensuring that the tie remained goalless in the opening exchanges.

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Takashi Usami started to show glimpses of the form that should bring him a Japan call sooner rather than later, but the proverbial parked bus of Vortis, along with some fine goalkeeping kept the blue and black hordes at bay as the game – and the season – reached its climax.

And suddenly the result here didn’t seem to matter as Reds conceded and equaliser and then, unbelievably went behind. As the game went into four minutes of additional time most of the crowd seemed to know – as did the Gamba bench – that even a late goal for Vortis would not be enough for Reds, and Gamba would be champions.

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The final whistle blew and, there was a lull in the action, with the buzz growing slowly around the ground – and on the field – as, unless Reds managed two goals in their additional time, the title was Gamba’s. Suddenly there was pandemonium as news came in from Saitama that the game had ended in defeat for Urawa! Gamba were champions, having turned around a huge deficit after the World Cup break.

Consider this in closing – when Gamba met Vortis in matchday 12 – a 3-0 win for Gamba – it was a match between the bottom two teams!
Gamba Osaka – Nabisco Cup – winners. J1 – winners. Next stop, the Emperor’s Cup!

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Team – Higashiguchi, Yonekura (Fujjiharu, 63), Niwa, Iwashita, Oh, Konno, Endo, Abe (Kurata, 46), Omori (Lins, 81), Usami, Patric